Costly and exhausting cleanup starts in flooded areas of New Brunswick

For many residents of the riverside communities of New Brunswick, the long and stressful process of cleaning up damaged properties is underway in the wake of a record-breaking flood.

Water levels have been dropping steadily in the in flood-stricken province, revealing structural damage.

In the community of Maugerville on the east side of the Saint John River, resident Bruce Betts spent the past three days hauling damaged furniture, appliances and gyprock out of a basement that filled with over a metre of water.

He says neighbours have been helping one another to carry the damaged materials to the curbside, where it is being trucked away to landfill sites.

Betts says he and many of his neighbours are going to apply for disaster relief through the province, as insurance wasn't available in his area and his costs run into the thousands of dollars.

The Jemseg area is the only region where water is expected to remain above flooding levels for the rest of the week.

The province has put out a call out to volunteers to aid in the massive cleanup efforts, and about 60 members from the Canadian Armed Forces were deployed Friday to help the provincial government with damage assessment.

The City of Fredericton is offering a special debris pick-up service for those in flooded areas until May 28.

Free Red Cross Flood Cleanup Kits are available in the capital at 318 Maple Street from 8:30am to 7:00 p.m. daily, and they'll also be available from Service New Brunswick offices on Queen Street starting today during regular business hours.